On Sunday morning, November 30, 1862, Confederate soldier John French White wrote an intimate, yet dismal letter to his wife, Mat. White’s letter began with an explanation of how grateful he was to have received mail from his wife: “[I] contented myself by reading your welcome letter which afforded me great pleasure.” A few lines later, Mr. White proceeded to explain the horrors of the Battle...

Sports can bring groups of people together like few other activities. The same can certainly be said for baseball, America's pastime, in the Civil War era. Baseball was being played before the war started, it was played during the war, and it is still played today. Baseball, which went by many names in the time of the Civil War, helped keep the morale of the troops up for both the North and the South....

Since 1865 the importance of the black soldiers fighting in the Civil War for the Union has not been disputed, whether it be freed slaves or fugitive slaves. Without a doubt the black soldiers that fought helped the Union immensely, absorbing significant losses while doing so. Part of the success resulted from the way that black soldiers were treated. According to Norwood P. Hallowell, the black soldiers...